BRADENTON — With about two weeks left before the Bradenton City Council assumes control of the city’s three Community Redevelopment Agencies, the Bradenton Downtown Development Authority met for the final time Tuesday as the overseers of the Bradenton and 14th Street West CRAs.
The city council voted in June to take control of the CRAs. The public, as well as the Central Community Redevelopment Agency and DDA members, expressed uncertainty at the council’s lack of an overall plan. There have been tentative plans expressed by council members Bemis Smith and Patrick Roff, but by law the council’s hands have been tied in taking official action until the Jan. 1 transition.
For the first time since those meetings took place over the summer, the full city council attended the DDA’s meeting. The DDA will remain intact, although the city council will assume control of its spending in the next budget cycle. The DDA will focus solely on downtown redevelopment efforts but also will act as an advisory board for the two CRAs it has overseen. Smith encouraged them to continue with their work.